Colourful Moons (and the effect on moonlight)

[Sound of Azure]

This is a really strange question, I know.

Would having a moon of a different composition of elements (thus changing the colour of the soil) have an effect on the level of moonlight on the world it orbits? Would it still be mostly white light, since it is reflective light?

In the case of my campaign it is a red moon, but for the sake of the question, what effect would any other colour have on moonlight level?

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

If the moonlight is green, blue, or violet, I believe it would make no difference. The rods you use to see in low-light conditions are sensitive mainly to those colors. The moon might not even look different (eg it might only look white, or very pale).

If enough red light gets reflected, the whole terrain might look red, movement would be a bit easier to spot, and you would be using your day-time light sensitive cells ... at night. But it really depends on how much light is available; if it's not a lot, I wouldn't expect there to be enough difference to justify rules changes. (The rods wouldn't be washed out by excessive light the way they are during the daytime.)

Going to sleep would be slightly easier, I suppose, assuming you don't have everburning torches all over the place. Red is a bit different. There's a reason they use red light in submarines at night time.

 

[Sound of Azure]

Yeah, that's what I thought.

It's really a flavour thing, and meant to capture the baleful aspect of the "Demon Eye".

I think I won't alter things too much, and just have a reddish cast over everything since the moon itself isn't emitting the light.

thanks for your help (Psi)SeveredHead!

 

[Nifft]

Green things would look darker in red light.

At night, I'd grant a hide bonus to reptiles and plants, and a penalty to movement through underbrush.

-- N

 

[Sound of Azure]

...really?

Things are looking up for the Naga.

 

[DreamChaser]

yeah. green things are green because they absorb red light and reflect everything else. if there is no "everything else" to reflect, they appear darker.

DC

 

[Nifft]

Orc: "Actually, it am easy being green!"

Darkvision would be very useful in jungle.

How bright is starlight in your world vs. moonlight?

-- N

 

[Sound of Azure]

Nifft



I was going to have everything pretty much the same as Earth, but I decided to have a strangely coloured moon (arbitrarily?) after I made a legend about the moon being created from the wrath of a dark god/spirit, balefully watching the world, and the creatures made from its blood (man) each night.

Um, anyway. Moonlight would be earth normal, with the moon having Luna's ordinary brightness (just a somewhat off colour).